India’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) are entering a new phase of growth. Once established mainly as cost-efficient back-office operations, GCCs are increasingly becoming centres for innovation, product development, technology leadership and strategic decision-making.
According to a PwC India and FICCI study, India had more than 2,100 GCCs employing around 2.36 million skilled professionals and generating approximately $98.4 billion in revenue in 2026.
The changing role of GCCs is also reflected in their contribution to India’s services economy. GCC exports accounted for 23.5% of India’s total services exports in 2026, compared with 19.7% in 2019.
India’s GCC ecosystem is growing rapidly
The scale of India’s GCC ecosystem demonstrates how significantly these centres have evolved.
- India hosts more than 2,100 GCCs.
- These centres employ approximately 2.36 million skilled professionals.
- The sector generates around $98.4 billion in revenue.
- GCC exports have increased as a share of India’s overall services exports.
- Nearly two-thirds of surveyed GCCs have more than 500 professionals.
- Around 45% operate as multi-functional centres of excellence.
From cost efficiency to capability leadership
The role of GCCs is shifting from cost optimisation towards capability creation and ownership.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has highlighted India’s ambition to move beyond simply hosting GCCs. The broader objective is to increase India’s contribution to the creation and leadership of global products, platforms, intellectual property and enterprise capabilities.
- GCCs are taking on more complex technology functions.
- Centres are increasingly involved in product development.
- Global organisations are expanding strategic responsibilities in India.
- GCC leadership teams are becoming more accountable for business outcomes.
- India is positioning itself as a location for global innovation and technology leadership.
GCCs are becoming innovation and R&D hubs
GCCs are also becoming increasingly important in research, development and innovation. Approximately 34% of GCCs surveyed operate as innovation and R&D centres.
Their responsibilities are expanding beyond operational support to include product engineering, artificial intelligence, digital platforms, data science and strategic business functions.
This evolution is creating a new model in which GCCs can contribute directly to products, intellectual property and business growth.
By 2030, approximately one in five GCCs surveyed expects to take responsibility for global profit-and-loss operations, indicating a further expansion in business ownership.
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning.
- Product engineering and development.
- Digital platforms and enterprise technology.
- Data science and analytics.
- Research and innovation.
- Strategic business functions.
GCCs and the next phase of Digital India
India’s Digital India journey demonstrated the country’s ability to develop digital infrastructure and platforms at enormous scale. GCCs now have an opportunity to apply similar capabilities within global enterprises.
Survey findings indicate that GCC leaders see their organisations becoming increasingly important global centres for AI, digital and innovation capabilities.
- Around half of respondents see their GCC becoming a global hub for AI, digital and innovation.
- More than 85% expect their operating mandate to expand.
- GCCs are increasingly expected to assume technology and strategic responsibilities.
- Only a small proportion expect their role to remain largely unchanged.
How GCCs can support India’s Viksit Bharat vision
India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision involves strengthening the country’s economic capabilities, innovation ecosystem and global competitiveness. GCCs can contribute to these objectives by connecting India’s talent base with the requirements of global enterprises.
As GCC responsibilities expand, they can contribute to the development of globally relevant products, intellectual property, advanced technology capabilities and high-value employment.
- Development of globally relevant products.
- Creation and ownership of intellectual property.
- Advanced technology and AI capabilities.
- High-value employment opportunities.
- Greater participation in global business decisions.
- Growth of India’s technology and services exports.
The talent bottleneck facing India’s GCC ecosystem
Despite the expansion of India’s technology talent pool, finding professionals with the right combination of skills remains a significant challenge.
According to the PwC-FICCI study, 62% of GCC leaders identified the shortage of professionals with both deep domain expertise and advanced technology skills as a major constraint.
Another challenge is the availability of senior leaders with the strategic capabilities needed for the AI era, identified by 52% of respondents.
The skills challenge therefore goes beyond conventional reskilling. GCCs increasingly need professionals who can combine technical expertise with industry knowledge, business understanding and strategic thinking.
- Technical and AI expertise.
- Industry-specific domain knowledge.
- Business and product understanding.
- Problem-solving capabilities.
- Stakeholder management.
- Strategic decision-making.
Building composite skills for the AI era
The next phase of GCC growth will require organisations to build multidisciplinary teams that can connect technology with business objectives.
The PwC India-FICCI survey of 200 senior GCC decision-makers across eight industries highlights the importance of developing these capabilities quickly.
- Product management: Building and managing products based on global business requirements.
- Domain expertise: Understanding industry-specific challenges and opportunities.
- Systems architecture: Designing scalable technology platforms.
- AI and machine learning: Developing and deploying intelligent solutions.
- Cybersecurity and data governance: Protecting enterprise systems and information.
- Business translation: Converting business problems into scalable technology solutions.
India’s GCC ecosystem is entering a new era
India’s GCC ecosystem has evolved significantly from its earlier cost-arbitrage model. Its growing focus on innovation, AI, product development and business ownership is changing its role within the global enterprise landscape.
The opportunity ahead is to turn this expanding GCC infrastructure into a sustained engine for innovation and intellectual property creation.
The key question will be whether GCCs can develop the right combination of technical, domain and leadership capabilities quickly enough to meet the demands of the AI era.
If they can, India’s GCC ecosystem could play an increasingly important role in shaping global products, platforms and enterprise capabilities while contributing to the country’s broader economic ambitions.
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